German prosecutors junked the appeal of a former nurse against his murder conviction and life sentence over the death of 85 patients under his care.
A report by the Associated Press and was picked up by the Philippine Daily Inquirer said that the Federal Court of Justice rejected the petition of Niels Hoegel, 42, who was convicted by a court in June 2019.
The high court said it found no errors with the verdict.
Hoegel admitted to injecting patients with overdoses of heart medication and other drugs and pushing other staff aside as he enjoyed the feeling of being able to resuscitate them.
He was said to have succeeded sometimes, but some 85 patients died, making him Germany’s most believed prolific serial killer.
Authorities believed more patients were killed but the cremation of other patients under his care destroyed any evidence.
While delivering the sentence, Judge Sebastian Buehrmann expressed regret that the court had not been able to “lift the fog” for many victims’ family members.
Hoegel worked at a hospital in Oldenburg between 1999 and 2002 and transferred to another healthcare institution near Delmenhorst from 2003 to 2005.
The killings covered by the 2019 trial took place between 2002 to 2005.
Prior to his 2019 verdict, Hoegel was in 2015 already facing a life sentence for two murders and two attempted murders.
On the last day of his trial last year, Hoegel apologised to the families of his victims.
“I would like to sincerely apologise for everything I did to you over the course of years,” he was quoted as saying in a report by BBC.
According to the Oldenburg hospital, records showed rates of deaths and resuscitations more than doubled when Hoegel was on shift.
The court’s verdict also noted that Hoegel will remain incarcerated after his 15-year life sentence. He was also banned from returning to work for patient care or rescue.
PHOTO BY FLICKR
